Manitoba PNP holds biggest draw of the year

Manitoba invited 419 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination on December 17.

This is the most invitations that the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) has sent out this entire year. Skilled workers and international graduates were invited to apply to one of the following three immigration streams:

Here are the number of invitations, also known as Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs), along with their required minimum Expression of Interest (EOI) scores:

Skilled Workers in Manitoba— 329 LAAs with a score of at least 375;
Skilled Workers Overseas— 50 LAAs with a score of at least 706; and
International Education Stream— 40 LAAs, no EOI score requirement.

Out of the 419 LAAs issued, 37 went to Express Entry candidates. The MPNP says they will refuse any of these candidates who do not have a valid Express Entry ID, a job seeker validation code, and verifiable experience in an occupation on Manitoba’s In-demand Occupations list.

The MPNP only considered Skilled Worker Overseas candidates in this draw if they were directly invited under a strategic recruitment initiative.

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If candidates scored higher than the minimum ranking, but did not receive an LAA, it could be because:

their third-party language test did not have a valid test number;
their language test is no longer valid; or
the candidate was invited under a strategic recruitment initiative, but they did not send a valid invitation number.

The MPNP said that candidates who are in one of these scenarios can update their EOI profile with the correct information in order to be considered for the next draw.

Candidates who are working in a regulated occupation have been invited in this draw. The MPNP says that they may refuse candidates who are not actually working in a regulated occupation, or who do not provide proof of having completed all licensing steps to be employed in Manitoba. Those who are in this situation have the option to decline their LAA.

The December 17 draw brings the total number of LAAs issued so far this year up to 4,888.

Manitoba’s EOI system

People who want to immigrate through Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) need to register an Expression of Interest with the MPNP to receive an LAA through the Skilled Workers in Manitoba and Skilled Workers Overseas streams.

Under Manitoba’s system, such candidates are ranked out of 1,000 points for human capital characteristics such as their English or French language skills, education, work experience, Manitoba connections, and other factors.

About Manitoba immigration streams

The Skilled Workers Overseas Category and Skilled Workers in Manitoba streams allow the province to nominate skilled workers who can support Manitoba’s labour market needs.

People who are applying from overseas need to have an established connection to Manitoba. This can be demonstrated through close family ties or friends in the province, previous experience in Manitoba, or an invitation under one of the MPNP’s Strategic Recruitment Initiatives.

Candidates do not need to be physically present in Manitoba at the time of the application to be eligible.

Successful candidates in the Skilled Workers in Manitoba category must meet certain criteria, such as having a full-time permanent job offer from an employer in Manitoba.

International students that graduated from an educational institution in Manitoba may receive an LAA under the International Education Stream if they have in-demand skills.

Express Entry Manitoba

The first step to receiving a provincial nomination through Manitoba's enhanced PNP is to submit their profile into the federal government's Express Entry system.

Candidates who are eligible for Express Entry are ranked based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score that considers human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language ability.

The highest-scoring candidates are invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence through regular draws from the Express Entry pool.

Those who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 CRS points and are effectively guaranteed an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Express Entry candidates who received a provincial nomination from Manitoba in this draw declared a valid Express Entry ID and provided a job seeker validation code.

Find out if you’re eligible for Canadian immigration